Is the process that converts inputs into outputs that can be sold as goods or services?

Read this page and explore the transformation process that occurs in operations management. Operations management transforms inputs like labor, widgets, steel, and capital into outputs (goods and services) that provide added value to customers. After you read, you will be able to analyze the importance of operations management in protecting an organization’s competitive advantage.

Operations management transforms inputs (labor, capital) into outputs (goods and services) that provide added value to customers.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Analyze the importance of operations management in protecting an organization’s competitive advantage

Key Points

  • Operations management transforms inputs (labor, capital, equipment, land, buildings, materials, and information) into outputs ( goods and services ) that provide added value to customers.
  • All organizations must strive to maximize the quality of their transformation processes to meet customer needs.
  • Controlling the transformation process makes it difficult for competitors to manufacture products of the same quality as the original producer.

Key Terms

  • output: Production; quantity produced, created, or completed.
  • input: Something fed into a process with the intention of it shaping or affecting the outputs of that process.
  • process: A series of events to produce a result, especially as contrasted to product.

Operations Management and the Transformation Process

Operations management transforms inputs (labor, capital, equipment, land, buildings, materials and information) into outputs (goods and services) that provide added value to customers.

Figure 1 summarizes the transformation process. The arrow labeled “Transformation System” is the critical element in the model that will determine how well the organization produces goods and services that meet customer needs. It does not matter whether the organization is a for-profit company, a non-profit organization (religious organizations, hospitals, etc.), or a government agency; all organizations must strive to maximize the quality of their transformation processes to meet customer needs.

Example: Strategic Importance of Operations Management

The 3M Company is a good example of the strategic importance of transforming inputs into outputs that provide competitive advantage in the marketplace.

3M manufactures a top-quality adhesive tape called “Magic Tape”. Magic Tape is used for everyday taping applications, but it offers attractive features that most other tapes do not, including:

  • Smooth removal from the tape roll
  • An adhesive that is sticky enough to hold items in place (but not too sticky that it can not be removed and readjusted if necessary! )
  • A non-reflective surface

For several decades, 3M has enjoyed a substantial profit margin on its Magic Tape product because 3M engineers make the manufacturing equipment and design the manufacturing processes that produce Magic Tape. In other words, 3M enjoys a commanding competitive advantage by controlling the transformation processes that turn raw material inputs into the high value-added Magic Tape product.

Controlling the transformation process makes it extremely difficult for competitors to produce tape of the same quality as Magic Tape, allowing 3M to reap significant profits from this superior product.

An opposite example of the strategic implications of the input/output transformation process is 3M’s decision in the 1980s to stop manufacturing VHS tape for video players and recorders.

In the VHS tape market 3M had no proprietary manufacturing advantage, as there were many Asian competitors that could produce high-quality VHS tape at lower cost. Since 3M had no proprietary control over the transformation process for VHS tape that would allow the company to protect its profit margins for this product, it dropped VHS tape from its offerings.

The two 3M examples of Magic Tape and VHS tape show how important the transformation process and operations management can be to providing and protecting an organization’s competitive advantage.

Is the process that converts inputs into outputs that can be sold as goods or services?

Example of a typical transformation process


Source: Lumen Learning, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-business/chapter/introduction-to-operations-management/

Is the process that converts inputs into outputs that can be sold as goods or services?
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Last modified: Friday, April 5, 2019, 12:26 PM

Operations management transforms inputs (labor, capital, equipment, land, buildings, materials, and information) into outputs (goods and services) that provide added value to customers. All organizations must strive to maximize the quality of their transformation processes to meet customer needs.

WHAT IS THE TRANSFORMATION PROCESS?

transformation process is any activity or group of activities that takes one or more inputs, transforms and adds value to them, and provides outputs for customers or clients. ... Changes in the physical characteristics of materials or customers.

HOW OPERATIONS CAN BE VIEWED AS A TRANSFORMATION PROCESS?

Briefly describe how operations can be viewed as a transformation process. Operations is often defined as a transformation process. Inputs such as raw materials, labor, equipment, and capital are transformed into outputs (goods and services). Customer feedback is used to adjust the transformation process.

WHAT IS PROCESS IN OPERATION MANAGEMENT?

Operations management is an area of management concerned with designing and controlling the process of production and redesigning business operations in the production of goods or services. ... Operations produce products, manage quality and creates service.

 EXAMPLE OF AN OUTPUT AND INPUT OF THE TRANSFORMATION PROCESS

Information and materials are two examples of inputs to the transformation process. ... Inputs to the transformation process are tangible, but the outputs may be tangible or intangible.  In general, operations management activities are not information and decision intensive.

WHAT IS THE MAIN OPERATION PROCESS OF THE ORGANIZATION?

Operations management (OM) is the business function responsible for managing the process of creation of goods and services. It involves planning, organizing, coordinating, and controlling all the resources needed to produce a company's goods and services.

FOUR PROCESS STRATEGIES

A process or transformation strategy is an organization's approach to transforming resources into goods and services. These goods or services are organized around a specific activity or process.

Every organization will have one of the four process strategies:

a.    Process focus in a factory; these processes might be departments devoted to welding, grinding, and painting. In an office the processes might be accounts payable, sales, and payroll. In a restaurant, they might be bar, grill, and bakery. The process focuses on low volume, high variety products are also called job shop. These facilities are process focus in terms of equipment, layout, and supervision.

b.    Repetitive focus; falls between the product and process focus. The repetitive process is a product-oriented production process that uses modules. Modules are parts or components of a product previously manufactured or prepared, often in a continuous process. Fast-food firms are an example of repetitive process using modules.

c.     Product focus, are high volume, low variety processes; also called continuous processes. Products such as light bulbs, rolls of paper, beer, and bolts are examples of product process. This type of facility requires a high fixed cost, but low costs. The reward is high facility utilization.

d.    Mass customizations focus; is rapid, low-cost production that caters to constantly changing unique customer desires. This process is not only about variety; it is about making precisely what the customer wants when the customer wants it economically. Achieving mass customization is a challenge that requires sophisticated operational capabilities.

Article from QD

What is the process that converts inputs into outputs that can be sold as goods and services?

As previously stated, production involves converting inputs (natural resources, raw materials, human resources, capital) into outputs(products or services). In a manufacturing company, the inputs, the production process, and the final outputs are usually obvious.

Is the process that converts inputs into outputs that can be sold as goods and services marketing production mechanization specialization operations?

Production converts inputs into outputs by changing the inputs in some way.

What is the management of the production conversion process for both goods and services?

Operations management (OM) is the administration of business practices to create the highest level of efficiency possible within an organization. It is concerned with converting materials and labor into goods and services as efficiently as possible to maximize the profit of an organization.

Is the management of the production conversion process?

Production management is the process of managing the conversion of production inputs (raw materials, human resources, and capital) into production outputs (the goods that a company produces).